These old buildings give the city a great atmosphere and are beautiful to look at, but they also come with a rich and interesting history. Due to its location on the river IJssel, the city always had a good trading position. In the Middle Ages she was part of the Hanseatic League: a collaboration of traders and cities from different countries, including England, Germany and of course the Netherlands.

Even before the Middle Ages, Deventer was a city where money circulated. During excavations, Roman coins from the third and fourth centuries have been found.

If you cycle through this route you’ll notice a big church, called the Lebuinus church. Many years ago this church used to be a small wooden church. This wooden church was founded by the (later) canonized Anglo-Saxon missionary Lebuinus Liafwin. In 768 he crossed the IJssel river and settled in the place we now know as Deventer. Most likely he is the founder of this city.

This small wooden church was turned into the first stone church in the tenth century, commissioned by Bishop Balderik of Utrecht. In 1040 Bishop Bernold decided that a basilica should be built, which unfortunately was destroyed by a fire in 1235. The current church was built between 1450 and 1525, the Lebuinuskerk, also known as the Grote Kerk. This church also could not escape the iconoclasm, which can still be seen in the church.

During the Second World War, Deventer was bombed several times by the Allies, resulting in a lot of damage. Of the approximately 11,000 homes, only 2,500 remained undamaged, as did the historic center and many bridges. After the war, they rebuilt many bridges and buildings. While cycling this route with Bike Labyrinth you will come across some of the many war memorials in Deventer.